Sacramento County, California
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Sacramento County. Population: 1,584,288 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Sacramento County, CA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 49.6 — 1624th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within California, it ranks 39th of 58 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Sacramento County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverEmployment & Wages
Debt & Delinquency
Income & Poverty
Community Vulnerability
How Sacramento County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento County, CA | 49.6 | Normal | — |
| Sutter County, CA | 61.2 | Elevated | +11.6 |
| San Joaquin County, CA | 55.9 | Elevated | +6.3 |
| Amador County, CA | 50.9 | Elevated | +1.4 |
| Solano County, CA | 50.7 | Elevated | +1.1 |
| Yolo County, CA | 49.6 | Normal | +0.0 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County, GA | 49.5 | Normal | -0.1 |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 50.1 | Elevated | +0.5 |
| Cook County, IL | 50.8 | Elevated | +1.2 |
| Franklin County, OH | 51.8 | Elevated | +2.2 |
| San Diego County, CA | 46.3 | Normal | -3.2 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Sacramento County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Sacramento County, California?
Sacramento County has a County Distress Index score of 49.6 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,624th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 39th in California out of 58 counties.
What drives financial distress in Sacramento County?
The primary driver of distress in Sacramento County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 94.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Sacramento County compare to neighboring counties?
Sacramento County (49.6) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Sutter County, CA (61.2); San Joaquin County, CA (55.9); Amador County, CA (50.9).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Sacramento County?
Sacramento County, California has a population of approximately 1,584,288 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.